A guitar, said to be signed by Paul McCartney, was to be part of an...

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Westport resident and expert historical authenticator John Reznikoff is shown with St. Thomas Episcopal Church organizers Dawn Fawcett, center, and Robin Michell, with three items he donated to their auction that will be held May 3 at 6 p.m. on Greenwood Avenue in Bethel.
A framed drawing of Elvis Presley playing the guitar signed by the artist, Albert "Al" Hirschfeld , an American caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars, a basketball jersey of champion Shaquille OâÄôNeal, and a New York Yankees shirt signed by Whitey Ford.

BETHEL -- Fortunately for St. Thomas Episcopal Church, there were no strings attached to the electric guitar purportedly signed by Beatles legend Paul McCartney.

After consigning the McCartney guitar and four other celebrity-signed items for a May 3 charity auction, St. Thomas officials returned the pieces Friday after learning the memorabilia may be fake.

CharityGROW, the vendor that supplied the items in question, took them back as agreed by the terms of the church's contract. However, company officials did not return a phone call or email requests seeking comment Friday.

"It's disappointing, but I'm just so appreciative of the people who have stepped forward," said Norma Schmidt, priest-in-charge of the church. "On the one hand it is negative, but all the angels are coming forward."

John Reznikoff, president of UniversityArchives.com in Westport, read about the church's plight through Hearst Connecticut Media. On Friday, he donated three signed items and $300 in restaurant gift cards to replace the returned goods.

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"It's really exciting. There are angels everywhere, starting with the local resident who e-mailed us with his concern about the signatures," said parishioner Dawn Fawcett, who organized the auction with another parishioner, Robin Mitchell.

"We are so grateful and blessed to have these kind of people helping us out without expecting anything back," Michell said.

Reznikoff said he wasn't familiar with CharityGROW or its policies. But he did say there's a growing concern about some companies providing fradulent memorabilia to charities.

"What invariably happens is that someone buys something. They think they are getting a bargain and making a donation to a charity," Reznikoff said. "It ends up on their wall for many years, and when they go to sell it, they can't because they can't authenticate it."

There are efforts underway to better enable law enforcement to prosecute those who knowingly sell fake items, he said.

"I'm so incensed. I want to see wrongs righted," Reznikoff said. "I'm Jewish. There is a practice in the Jewish religion called tzedakah. It means justice, righteousness or charity. It's an obligation we have to help people. I hope this sets an example for others."

Roger Epperson, a music industry autograph authenticator, collector and expert, said in an email Thursday that McCartney's signature was not authentic.

Steve Cyrkin, of AutographMagazineLive.com, also helped the church get expert opinions, Michell said.

Cyrkin said the church's other signed merchandise was fraudulent, too. Along with the McCartney guitar, the church had consigned autographed photos of former New York Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle and John Glenn, the former astronaut and U.S. senator, among other items.

"Steve spent an hour and a half on the phone with me, and personally sent out photos to authenticators just trying to help us out," Michell said. "It is embarrassing to be taken. Nobody wants to be taken and we were.

"But because of angels, we have now have authorized items. It started as a great exciting ride that went quickly downhill and we're back on top. But most important, we are confident and sure in the items we are going to present. There are angels all around."